The present invention relates to an improved front frame design for a tractor and, more particularly, to flat plate front frame nose for a tractor that provides additional under hood vertical clearance without increasing hood height or reducing ground clearance that will support an integral bumper and counterweight attachment.
With the increase in horsepower and clean air emission requirements, cooling requirements for tractors are dramatically increasing. Meeting these increasing requirements requires corresponding increases in the size of cooling packages for the tractor power plants. However, the height above the ground of the hood under which the cooling package must be positioned is limited in order to maintain adequate visibility from the operator's cab over the hood. Similarly, reducing ground clearance is also not a viable option as ground clearance and angle of approach must be maintained sufficient to provide adequate tractor mobility over uneven terrain.
The STX and TJ series four-wheel drive tractors manufactured by Case New Holland are typical examples of tractors where such considerations are increasingly important. These tractor frames conventionally comprise a box-section frame having generally vertically aligned, deep section frame rails extending forward from the front axle to near the forwardmost portion of the tractor hood to provide support for the cooling package. Weight packages or implements may also be attached to the forward end of the frame adding to the structural requirements of the frame. The structural requirements on these large tractors are substantial; applied forces on the front end of the frame can easily exceed 10,000 pounds. Additionally, changes to the frame configuration must also accommodate hose routing, cooling package connection and support, hood and grill sealing, and enable easy removal of accumulated field debris. Further, some large tractors feature a tow cable, an end of which is often secured to the forwardmost portion of the frame while not in use where it may be easily accessed when needed. Modification of the forwardmost portion of the tractor frame must also provide a connection for the tow cable.
It would, therefore, be a great advantage to provide a modified nose frame design for a tractor that would enable a larger cooling package to be fitted without increasing the height of the hood from the ground or reducing ground clearance beneath to overcome the above problems and disadvantages. Further advantages would be realized by a modified nose frame that allowed convenient connection of a bumper and weight package without significant adverse affect on the under-hood gains offered by the redesigned nose frame. Still further advantages result from a nose frame design that affords easy debris removal or even reduces the accumulation of debris. Still further advantages would be realized if the modified nose frame easily integrated with existing frame, hood, and grill designs with only minor modification of the tractor frame design.